The Baltimore City Planning Commission all but shot down the West Covington Urban Renewal Plan Thursday night, but the redevelopment proposal isn?t completely dead as it heads to City Council.
The commission voted against recommending that City Council approve the plan, citing serious concerns with the proposal?s inclusion of an eminent domain clause that would allow the city to acquire by condemnation the sites of three businesses and seven homes in West Covington.
“The development opportunity is superb, the development opportunity must happen, but not this way,” said Planning Commission Chairman Peter Auchincloss.
The commission considered amending the plan, removing the eminent domain aspect while keeping pieces of the plan that dealt with the rezoning of the area and the preservation of Swann Park. But after a long meeting that included more than 2 1/2 hours of discussion on the plan, the commission decided to turn it over to City Council with the suggestion of amending the plan.
City Council members Rochelle “Rikki” Spector, a planning commissioner, and Edward Reisinger, the 10th District representative, both spoke in opposition of the plan as it stands.
“This area is not abandoned,” Spector said. “Everything here is active and tax-producing. I can?t figure out why we?re doing it.”
Reisinger, council vice president, said the plan, which was introduced in December, was moving too fast to be approved.
“We?re just fast-tracking this thing, and we don?t know what?s going to happen,” Reisinger said. “Let?s look at these seven families. Let?s look at these businesses.”
There was talk at the meeting about Under Armour and the Baltimore sports apparel firm?s desire to relocate its corporate headquarters to West Covington. M.J. “Jay” Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., confirmed the company has eyed the waterfront location and said it will outgrow its current Tide Point location in the next five to six years.
For Under Armour to potentially move in, though, three businesses ? Schuster Concrete Co., Allied Waste Services and Atlantic Forest products ? and the families of seven homes would have to be relocated.
“We can change trends and have a much better city. That doesn?t make it easy,” Brodie said.
NOTEWORTHY
>> Harris Teeter, a North Carolina grocer chain, appears to be close to coming to the McHenry Row mixed-use project in Locust Point. Artwork shown to the commission dealing with signage for the project included the Harris Teeter name.
>> The commission approved the Gateway South development, the 11-acre mixed-use project south of the stadium complex that will include office and retail space and a sports recreational facility. Cormony Development LLC, Harrison Development LLC and Team 52 Development LLC are working together on the project.
